Control mechanism for loom selvage needle



April 28., 1970 c. R. KRONOFF ET -v CONTROL MEGHANISM FOR LOOM SELVAGE NEEDLE 's Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 9, 1969 ATTORNEY INVENTORS CLARENCE R. KRQNOFF EDWIN E DOLBEARE WWMP EW FIG.2

FIG.

April 28, 1970 c, R, KRQNQFF ET AL 3,508,588

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR LOOM SELVAGE NEEDLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 9, 1969 FIG? I II" INVENTORS CLARENCE R KRONOFF' EDWIN F. DOLBEARE Em W ATTORNEY April 28, 1970 C. R. KRONOFF ET AL CONTROL MECHANISM FOR LOOM SELVAGE NEEDLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 9, 1969 FlGIO FIG. 9

7. 2 fi A INVENTORS CLARENCE R. KRONOFF ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,508,588 CONTROL MECHANISM FOR LOOM SELVAGE NEEDLE Clarence R. Kronofl. and Edwin F. Dolbeare, Worcester, Mass., assignors to Crompton & Knowles Corporation, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 694,924, Jan. 2, 1968.. This application July 9, 1969, Ser. No. 842,823

Int. Cl. D03d 47/42 US. Cl. 139124 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The drive mechanism for reciprocating a selvage knitting needle in a narrow ware loom which selectively permits the location of a greater dwell or retardation of the needle at either the front or back end of its reciprocation. When the reed of the loom is beating the weft up a short distance, the selvage needle has a greater dwell at the front end of its reciprocation; whereas, where the reed is beating up the weft a greater distance, the selvage needle has a greater dwell or retardation at the back end of its reciprocation.

This application is a continuation of our earlier application Ser. No. 694,924, filed Jan. 2, 1968, entitled Control Mechanism for Loom Selvage Needle.

This invention relates to a drive mechanism for reciprocating selvage needles on narrow ware looms of the type shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,625,959. Such looms have a weft-inserting needle to move a hairpin of weft from a stationary supply through a warp shed and then about the hook of a selvage knitting needle at the opposite side of the warp shed. In the past, it has been found that in weaving fabrics on looms of the type shown in the aboveidentified patent, some fabrics such as fine, delicate fabrics or elastic fabrics require but a short beat-up. That is, the fell of the fabric is moved a very short distance during the time that the last pick is being beaten thereinto. In weaving fabrics with short beat-up, it has been'found necessary and desirable for the selvage needle to have a greater dwell in its forward position during thebeat-up than it does at the rear end of its reciprocation. One reason for this is that the selvage needle in fabrics using but a short beat-up is often located very close to the edge of the fabric and without the greater dwell or retardation at the forward end of its reciprocation there is danger that the reed will collide with the selvage needle. This danger is averted by causing the selvage needle to dwell longer in its forward position so as to avoid the reed.

Conversely, other fabrics require the reed to beat the filling in a greater distance, or what is known as a heavy beat-up. When a heavy beat-up is utilized in conjunction with a longer dwell by the selvage needle at the front end of its reciprocation, there is danger that the filling loop held in the hook portion of the selvage needle will slide down and off of the cantilevered hook portion rather than sliding down the shank of the knitting needle, inasmuch as the reed will, during the heavy beat-up, move the filling a greater distance than the length of the hook portion. When this happens, the loop of filling is inadvertently cast off the hook of the knitting needle and a defective selvage is formed. To avoid this happening in fabrics that require a heavy beat-up, it has been found necessary to provide a short dwell or retardation for the selvage needle at the front end of its reciprocation and a greater dwell at the rear end of its reciprocation so that the needle will not be relatively stationary long enough to lose the loop. In the past, in order to provide the loom with drive means to accomplish these two diverse requirements, it has been necessary to have one drive mechanism for a greater dwell at the front end of the needle reciprocation and yet another drive mechanism for a greater dwell at the rear end of the reciprocation.

It is an important object of this invention to provide drive mechanism for the reciprocating selvage needle in which the greater dwell of the selvage needle may be selectively located at either end of its reciprocation.

Other objects and the details of that which is believed to be novel will be clear from the following description of the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the fabric and the selvage needle dwelling at the rear end of its reciprocation;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the selvage needle dwelling at the front end of its reciprocation;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the drive mechanism and associated loom parts wherein the selvage needle has a greater dwell at the rear end of its reciprocation but showing the selvage needle at the front end of its reciprocation;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but shows the selvage needle at the rear end of its reciprocation;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the drive mechanism adjusted to provide for a greater dwell at the front end of the selvage needles reciprocation and showing the needle at the front end of its reciprocation;

FIGURE 6 is a view of the drive mechanism adjusted as in FIGURE 5 but showing the selvage needle at the rear end of its reciprocation;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the drive mechanism;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view of the hook end of a selvage latch needle; and

FIGURE 9 is a schematic view showing the linear movement imparted to the selvage needle with the transmitter means set as shown in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 10 is a view similar to FIGURE 9 but showing the transmitter means set as shown in FIGURE 5.

Referring more particularly now to FIGURES 1 and 2, FIGURE 1 shows the selvage needle 27 having a hook 28 and a latch 29 dwelling at the rear end of its reciprocation, and FIGURE 2 is a figure very similar to FIG- URE 1 but showing the selvage needle 27 dwelling at the forward end of its reciprocation.

Referring now, in more detail, to FIGURE 3, the loom includes a gear box 35 forming a part of its frame and similar to that of the gear box in the previously identified patent. The warp is supplied from the left-hand side of the "box and cloth is collected at the right-hand side in fashion well-known in the art. A vertical shaft 11 extends upwardly through gear box 35 and a U-shaped slider base 12, which is removably held to the gear box by screw means 13 and 14 which have heads 15 and threads 16 as seen in FIGURE 7.

Base 12 forms a part of a power-transmitting means which has the upstanding guide arms 17 and 18 in which is guided a slider rod or lineally reciprocal element 19. Element 19 is operatively connected to the selvage needle 27 by means of a clevis 20, a horizontal pivot pin 21, and a rod head 22 of a connector 23. As seen in figure 3, conmotor 23 is adjustable in length and its righthand end is pivotally attached at 24 to a link 25 which is connected .to the selvage needle carrier block 26. Block 26 has secured thereto latch needles 27, each of which has a rear hook end 28 and a latch 29 as seen more readily in FIGURES 7 and 8.

The invention has been applied to a loom weaving two webs side by side, but the mechanism for only one web will be described in detail. However, it is to be understood that in looms of this type the selvage needles for the adjacent fabric are commonly mounted between the fabrics and are manipulated by a single-drive mechanism. Therefore, it is to be understood that the mechanism described herein would normally operate both needles of the double web type of loom though, of course, this mechanism could be used to drive only a single needle, if desired, as well as the multiplicity of needles on a multispace loom.

Secured to the top of shaft 11 above the bottom 36 of the crank slider base 12 is a crank or actuator 37 which rotates during normal loom operation and has an upright crank pin 38 onto which is pivoted a crank link 39 at one of its ends. The other end of crank link 39 is pivotally secured to slide rod 19 by means of a driving pin 40. Pin 40 has a head 41 which tends to hold the parts 19 and 39 together. Crank 37 has a radial slot 42 across which extends a set screw 43 anchored at 44 into part of the crank at one side of the slot. Screw 43 has a head 45 on the other side of slot 42 to engage the other part of the crank to permit tightening of the crank on shaft 11 for rotation therewith.

A stand 46 is fastened to gear box 35 at 46a and has pivoted thereon at 47 a short link 48 pivoted at 49 to link 25. The rear part of link 25 is pivoted at 50 to the upper end of a longer link 51 which in turn is pivoted at its lower end at 52 to stand 46.

The reed 55 reciprocates back and forth (as viewed in FIGURE 3) in the usual manner, once for each rotation of shaft 11, and is shown in its forward position in FIG- URE 3. The reed is mounted on reed holder 56, which is rocked in a manner well-known in the art to oscillate the reed. The reed has a downward motion as it moves forwardly and an upward motion as it moves rearwardly (as seen in US. Patent No. 3,127,912).

FIGURE 4 is a figure similar to that of FIGURE 3 but shows the crank 39 in a position one hundred and eighty degrees from that shown in FIGURE 3. That is, the selvage needle 27 is in its rearmost position in FIG- URE 4 and in its forwardmost position in FIGURE 3. It should be noted in FIGURE 4 that drive pin 40 is spaced very close to the center of rotation of crank 39 when needle 27 is in its rearmost position. Since drive pin 40 is near the center of rotation of crank 37, the linear motion imparted to slider rod 19 will be a a minimum during the half a rotation nearest to upright member 18 (as seen in FIGURE 4).

See FIGURE 9 wherein the segments of rotation of crank 37 are shown. As seen in FIGURE 9, hook 28 moves a greater linear distance along line AA, which corresponds to the linear reciprocation of the selvage needle 28. As crank 37 moves from point 8 to point 1, needle 28 moves a comparably shorter distance than when crank 37 moves from point 4 to point 5. It is this diversity of linear movement that accounts for the greater dwell when the transmitter means is set in the position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, i.e., where the pivoted connection 40 between link 39 and clevis 20 extends over crank 37 when needle 27 is at the rear end of its reciprocation. Similarly, when it is desired to have the greater dwell at the front end of the selvage needles reciprocation, link 39 is positioned to extend over the crank 37 when needle 27 is at the front end of its reciprocation as seen in FIG- URES 5, 6, and 10, which are identical to FIGURES 3, 4 and 9 except for the repositioning of the transmitter means. This repositioning is accomplished by releasing screws 13 and 14 to release slider base 12, disconnecting rodhead 22 from clevis 20, rotating the base 180 to the position shown in FIGURES and 6 while crank 37 remains in the same position. Of course, the location of the selvage needle reciprocation relative to reed 55 must be relocated by proper adjustment to rod 23.

Thus, it will be seen that in order to reverse the position of the dwell from one end of the needles reciprocation to the other in accordance with this invention, it is merely necessary to change the relationship between the transmitting means and crank 37. This is readily done with the invention as disclosed herein by merely reversing the position of U-shaped base 12.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. Drive mechanism for a reciprocating selvage needle for selectively providing a greater dwell at either end of its reciprocation than at the other end thereof, comprismg:

(a) a rotating crank means;

(b) connector means operatively connected to said selvage needle; and

(c) transmitter means pivotally connected to said crank means and to said connector means, having first and second operative positions when said needle is at one end of its reciprocation, whereby said needle will have a greater dwell at said one end of its reciprocation when said transmitter means is set in said first operative position and a greater dwell at the other end of said reciprocation when said transmitter means is set in said second operative position.

2. The loom set forth in claim 1 in which the crank means is operatively connected to a linearly reciprocable element which forms part of said transmitter means.

3. The loom set forth in claim 1 wherein said transmitter means includes a U-shaped slider base having vertical arms in which slides an element operatively connected to the selvage needle and to the link.

4. The loom set forth in claim 3 wherein the slider base has a vertical shaft extending thereinto and a fiat base slidable horizontally on a stationary part of the loom, screws on opposite sides of the axis of said shaft passing through said flat base into holes in said part of the loom and removable to permit reversal of said slider base on said loom part through an angle of said screws and their holes being equal and the screws being then insertible into said holes to fasten the slider 'base to the loom with the slider base reversed from its previous position.

5. In a selvage needle control mechanism for a loom having a support means, a shaft turning in said support means, said mechanism including a slider base on said support means through which the shaft extends, removable means holding said base on said support means in such manner that the base can be in either of two settings relative to the support means, said settings located 180 apart, a crank connected to and rotated by said shaft, a short link connected to said crank, a clevis mounted for sliding motion relative to said base and operatively connected to said short link, a longer link operatively connecting said clevis and said selvage needle, said base in one of its settings causing the selvage needle to dwell in a position forward of the read and when in the other of its settings causing the selvage needle to dwell in a position rearward of said reed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,280,478 4/ 1942 Clutsom 139124 3,047,028 7/1962 Rotrekl 139-57 3,102,559 9/1963 Gustavson et al. 139124 3,403,706 10/1968 Shackleton et al. 139124 HENRY S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner 

